With shorter refuelling times and longer driving range then electric vehicles, Hydrogen powered vehicles are considered the future of low-emission cars.

Dr Brett Dale, CEO of MTA Queensland, said he was excited by the momentum that Hydrogen power has been gaining in the automotive industry, explaining that drivers won’t notice a difference in the time it takes to recharge hydrogen powered car compared to the traditional gas-powered vehicle.

“The advantage of hydrogen cars is that it takes the same time to charge them as it takes to fill your car with fossil fuels – no more than about three minutes,” said Dr Brett Dale.

“With hydrogen, you’re more likely to use the same behaviour as you would to go into a fuel station and refuel your car.

The process of refuelling a hydrogen car involves gas travelling through a fuel stack causing a reaction with the oxygen to generate electricity which is stored in a battery.

“The only emission produced by hydrogen is water, the by-product is water and a little heat,” said Dale.

“Electric vehicles are generated using coal-powered grids, power that has been generated by coal, so this is a cleaner option if we get it right.

“We could be seeing hydrogen-fuelled cars on our roads commercially by 2025.”

Dr Dale was also very excited by the advances being made by the CSIRO, who recently produced two hydrogen powered cars in Brisbane using ammonia to transport the vehicles.

“The work that the CSIRO has done to make it capable using ammonia to transport hydrogen is similar to what they do with new fossil fuels.

“We now hope that old fuel stations transition to new fuel technologies, making it easier for consumers to make the switch.”

While hydrogen powered cars are being talked up as the technology primed to take over the roads, Dale believed hydrogen cars would complement electric vehicles rather than replace them.

“It’s an alternative for consumers and if it can be cost-effective, there’s certainly space for it in the future,” said Dale.

“It’s very expensive in its current process but the reality is that if we get this right it promises a lot.”